Staff Reporter :
Grief has swept through two villages in Kurigram and Gaibandha after young Bangladeshi soldiers were killed while serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan.
The fallen soldiers are Private Md Mominul Islam, 38, from North Pandul village in Ulipur upazila, and Private Shanta Mondol, 26, from Chhat Madhai village of Rajarhat upazila, Md Sabuj Mia from Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha.
They were among six Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed in a drone attack carried out by an armed separatist group on a UN logistics base in Kadugli on Saturday afternoon. According to the Bangladesh Army, the attack took place at around 3:40pm local time in Sudan. The other victims hailed from Natore, Rajbari, Kishoreganj and Gaibandha. Back home, the news has left families shattered. In Chhat Madhai village, relatives and neighbours gathered at Shanta Mondol’s home as his wife, Dilruba Khandaker Brishti, collapsed repeatedly in grief. Five months pregnant, she struggled to accept the loss.
“He promised me he would come back soon,” she cried. “Shanta cannot break his word. Bring my Shanta back to me.”
Shanta joined the Bangladesh Army in 2018. His father, Nur Islam Mondol, is a former soldier, and his elder brother, Sohag Mondol, is currently serving in the army. Sohag said he had spoken to Shanta over a video call just hours before the attack.
“Everything was normal,” he said. “Later that night, around 10:30, a neighbour told us something terrible had happened. After speaking to others in the mission, we confirmed that my brother was gone.”
In North Pandul village, Mominul Islam’s mother, Monowara Begum, spoke through tears as she recalled her son’s last days at home. Mominul had joined the army 18 years ago and left for Sudan on November 5 after a short leave.
“He trained for months before going abroad,” she said. “When he left, he hugged me and said, ‘Ma, don’t cry. I will come back very soon.’ On Saturday morning, he even spoke to family members on a video call. A few hours later, he was killed.”
“My son harmed no one,” she added. “Why did they have to kill him?”
Kurigram Deputy Commissioner Annpurna Debnath described the deaths as deeply tragic and said the district stood in solidarity with the bereaved families.
News of Sabuj Mia’s death has plunged Palashbari into deep mourning, with family members and villagers struggling to accept the loss.
Sabuj, from Chhoto Bhagabanpur village under Mahadipur Union, was the son of the late Habibur Rahman and Sakina Begum. Orphaned at the age of two, he grew up in poverty and worked hard to support his family.
He left for Sudan on 7 November to serve with the UN peacekeeping mission, working as a civilian laundry worker with the Bangladesh Army.
His sudden death has left his mother Sakina Begum and wife Nupur Akhter inconsolable. Nupur said she last spoke to her husband on Saturday afternoon and received the news of his death later that night. Tearful and distraught, Sabuj’s mother has appealed for her son’s body to be brought home so she can find peace.
Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions worldwide. The deaths in Sudan have once again highlighted the risks faced by Bangladeshi soldiers serving far from home, and the heavy price their families sometimes pay.
